One of the common problems in Windows 10 is microphone issues. The device may not work at all or in some specific programs. For example, Skype frequently has problems with microphone compatibility. Let’s find out what to do if the microphone stopped working in Windows 10 on a computer or laptop, both after updating, reinstalling the OS, or without any reason.

But first of all, check if your microphone is plugged in the right plug and connected to electricity 🙂 If you are sure everything is ready, let’s proceed.

What to do if the microphone stopped working in Windows 10

After the recent big update of Windows 10, many have faced such an issue. Likewise, the microphone may stop working after a clean install of the latest system version.

Usually, the reason for this is the new OS privacy settings that allow you to configure access to the microphone for various programs.

Therefore, if you have the latest version of Windows 10 installed, before attempting the following methods, try these simple steps:

1. Open Settings (Win + I keys or through the Start menu) – Privacy.
2. On the left, select “Microphone”.
3. Make sure microphone access is enabled. Otherwise, click “Change” and enable access.

4. Even lower on the same settings page in the “Choose which Microsoft Store apps can access your microphone” section, make sure that access is enabled for those applications which you plan to use (if the program is not in the list – it’s fine).
5. Also, enable access for the Win32WebViewHost (or Desktop Web Viewer) app here.

You can then check if the problem has been resolved. If not, try the following ways to fix the situation.

Checking recording devices

Make sure your microphone is set as the default recording and communication device. For this:

1. In the latest version of Windows 10, right-click on the speaker icon, select the “Sound” option, and on the next screen, select the Recording tab. 
2. If your microphone is listed but not chosen as the default communication and recording device, right-click on it and choose Set Default Communication Device.

3. If there is a device and it is disabled, right-click on it and select “Enable”.

If, as a result of these actions, nothing helped and the microphone still does not work (or is not displayed in the list of recording devices), go to the next method.

Checking microphone in device manager

Perhaps the problem is in the sound card drivers and the microphone does not work for this reason (and it depends on your sound card as well).

1. Go to the device manager (for this, you can right-click on “Start” and select the desired item in the context menu). In the Device Manager, open the Audio Inputs outputs section.

2. If the microphone is not displayed there – you either have problems with the drivers, or the microphone is not connected. Try continuing from step 4.
3. If the microphone is displayed, but you see an exclamation mark next to it (it works with an error), try right-clicking on the microphone, select “Delete”, confirm the deletion. Then from the Device Manager menu select “Action” – “Update hardware configuration”. Perhaps after that, it will work.
4. In a situation where the microphone is not displayed, you can try reinstalling the sound card drivers. Open the “Sound, game and game controllers” section in the device manager, right-click on your sound card, select “Uninstall ”, confirm the deletion. After uninstalling in Device Manager, select “Action” – “Update Hardware Configuration”. The drivers will have to be reinstalled and, possibly, after that, the microphone will appear in the list again.

If you had to resort to the 4th step, but this did not solve the problem, try installing the sound card drivers manually from the website of the manufacturer of your motherboard.

Microphone does not work in Skype or other software

Some programs, such as Skype, other programs for communication, screen recording, and other tasks, have their own microphone settings. Even if you set the correct recorder in Windows 10, the settings in the program may differ. What’s more, even if you’ve already set up the correct microphone and then unplugged and plugged it back in, these settings can sometimes be reset in programs.

Therefore, if the microphone stopped working only in a particular program, carefully study its settings, perhaps all you need to do is specify the correct microphone there. For example, in Skype, this option is found under Tools – Options – Audio & Video.